Dobby finger for looms



March 8, 1927. 1,620,176

W. H. WAKEFIELD DOBBY FINGER FOR LOOMS Filed Feb. 19, 1926 .Z''/v VENTOF? WHLTEFE .H. MKEF/ELD Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER H. WAKEFIELD, OF WORCESTER, IVIASEACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR T CROMPTON & KNOWLES LOOMI WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

DOBBY FINGER FOB LOOMS.

Application filed February 19, 1926. Serial No. 89,461.

This invention relates to improvements in dobby fingers for looms and it is the principal object of the invention to provide such a device formed of pressed metal so arranged as to provide a run for the dobby pegs held to the finger by a minimum numher of parts.

In application Ser. No. 86,062, filed by Ncedham there is shown a composite dobby finger formed of a central flat section having a guiding wing, a second part provided with a groove on the under side to receive the pegs of the dobby chain and a third heavy enfolding member which holds the other two parts together. It is an important object of my invention to provide a finger having certain features of the. finger shown in the aforesaid application but without the use of the central wing forming portion.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a finger formed of a folded sheet of metal portions of which are of triple thickness to give increased bearing surface and other portions of which are double thickness to provide a space for the peg run.

ith these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown a convenient embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a diagrannna-tic elevation of portions of a dobby showing the same associated with my improved dobby finger,

Fig. 2 is arear elevation of a dobby finger made according to my invention,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the finger shown in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank before any of. the folding operations,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but with the first folding operation completed,

Figs. 6 and 7 are. detail sections on lines 66 and 7 7 respectively, of Fig. 2,

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the peg run portion,

Fig. 9 is a. detail vertical section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8, and

Fig. 10 is a detail plan taken in the direction of arrow 10, Fig. 1,.showing a portion of the comb.

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the dobby comprises a harness jack pivoted on a fixed pin 21 and having attached thereto as at 22 a dobby back lever 23. The. latter has attached to the upper portion thereof a hook 24 which cooperates with a reciprocating knife 25 and has attached at the bottom thereof a second hook 26 which cooperates with a. reciprocating knife 27. The knives 25 and 27 are connected so as to work in opposite directions simultaneously and fixed stops 28 engage the upper and lower ends of the levers 23 to limit movement thereof to the left as shown in Fig. 1. The hooks may rest on cross bars 29 when lowered to be engaged by the knives.

A dobby cylinder 30 is rotatably mounted on av shaft 31 and receives regular intermittent angular movement of such degree that at each pick of the loom a new dobby chain bar 32 will be brought into operative position with respect to the dobby finger to be described. Said chain bars are provided with pegs 33 of hardened steel which serve to indicate which hooks are to be lowered into contact with the knives. A guiding comb C comprises a fixed bar 34 having upwardly extending wires 35 which are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the fingers and the distance between adjacent pegs on the bars 32, as shown in Fig. 10. A rod 36 is provided for supporting the dobby fingers and a lighterrod 37 lying over the fingers and rod 36 requires said fingers to move about the rod 36 as a center, as set forth in Patent No. 1,174,895. The matter thus far described is old and forms no part of my invention.

My invention relates more particularly to the construction of the dobby fingers F and i F and I will describe herein the formation of finger F, the other finger F being very similar to said finger F. In carrying out my invention I provide a blank 40 formed as shown in Fig. 4 with substantially parallel lifting arm forming portions 41 and pivot bearing portions 42. A wing 43 is stamped integrally with and offset slightly from the plane of the lower portion of the blank as shown in Fig. 4 and is separated from the other portions thereof by a narrow slot 44. The upper and lower .arcuate edges 45 of the body portion of the blank are made to conform to the usual. curvature to cooperate with the peg run section to be described. As shown in Fig. 4 the lower arm 41 has stamped integrally therewith a third arm forming section 46 having a pivot bearing portion 47 similar to bearings 42. An car 48 is also stan'iped integrally with the blank and extends from the under side thereof as shown in Fig. 4. Arm portion 46 and car 48 are provided with slots 49 and 50, respectively, for a. purpose to be descriliied. The bearing portion 47 is extended toward the lower arcuate edge and is spaced therefrom a slight distance as indicated at 51.

The peg run is shown in Figs. 8 and 9 and comprises a single stamping formed of a piece of sheet metal of substantially half the thickness of the blank shown in Fig. 4, said run section being folded about a line L and having at one end a lug 52 to enter slot 50 and at the other end thereof a second lug 53 to enter slot 49. As shown in Fig. l) the lower edges of the peg run are flared to define a groove to receive the dobby peg and as shown in Fig. 8 the lower edges are arenate to conform to the curved edges 45. The dobby peg run may be substantially the same as that set forth in the aforesaid Needham application, and is subject to the same slight twisting or bending due to the heat treating process as the corresponding dobby peg run of said application.

In assembling the finger the arm portion 46 will be folded along the line M, Fig. 4 and ear 48 will be folded along line N, Fig. 4, to assume the position shown in Fig. 5. Said lines M and N are secondary lines of folding and preferably, though not necessarily, are in alignment to simplify the folding operation. The bearing portion 47 will then be in alignment with the lower bearing portion 42 and the arm portion 46 in alignment with the lower arm portion 41. The peg run section can then be inserted as indicated in Fig. 5, the lugs 52 and 53 fitting respec tively the slots 50 and 49. The main portion of the blank may then be folded along the primary line of folding P, the arms 41, hearing portions 42, and areuate edges 45 being symmetrical with respect to said line P. The finger is then subjected to spot welding at convenient points as at VJ, after which the said. finger will be substantially as shown in Fi 2. The lugs on the peg run section and their cooperating slots prevent vertical displacement of the same and the folded sides of the portion 40 prevent lateral displacement. As shown in Fig. 6 the wing 43 may be offset to as to be in substantial alignment with the car 48. thus lying centrally with respectto the finger to support the same on the cross bar 34 more uniformly than would be the case if said wing were in the same plane with one of the side folded portions. As indicated in Fig. 3 the bearing portion which rests on rod 36 is of triple thickness and by reason of the bearing portion 47 and car 48 the sides of the section 40 are separated to define a space for the peg run. The heavier sides of section 40 correct any slight deformation of the peg run and hold the same straight for proper cooperation with the chain pegs. Finger F is formed substantially the same as linger F with the exception that the upper end thereof is bent beyond the line of fold P to have direct engagement with the lower set of books 27.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a pressed steel dobby finger formed of a main blank folded to present portions of triple thickness and that the parallel sides of the finger are spaced apart to receive a. hardened peg run of such small proportions that any tendency thereof to warp can be overcome by the heavier material of the finger. It will also be seen that the wing 43 is offset so as to be in alignment with the peg run but is formed integrally with the main portion of the finger.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed but what I claim is: V

1. A loom dobby finger having a main portion folded on itself and having integral portions projecting therefrom provided with slots, and a peg run section having lugs to lie in the slots to be restrained against vertical movement, said peg run section being engaged on the sides thereof by the folded portions of the finger.

2. A loom dobby finger having a folded section of substantial width and having a separating wing integral with one of the folded parts and offset from the plane there of so as to lie substantially between the planes of the folded parts.

3. A loom dobby finger formed of a pair of sheet metal sections one of said sections being folded along a substantially central line and having an arm extending from one side thereof of single thickness, and a double arm extending therefrom on the other side of the central line, the arm of double thickness being folded on itself, said finger also having bearing portions one lying on one side of the central line and being of single thickness and the other lying on the other side of the central line and being of double thickness and being formed by folding the double arm on itself, and an ear integral with the first named section bent back there on and defining with the bearing portion of said first named section a space for the second of said pair of sections.

4. A. loom dobby finger formed of two sections each folded on itself, one section being provided with a groove to cooperate with the dobby chain egs and being onclosed by the other sectlon, and interengaging portions formed on the sections to prevent relative vertical and lateral displacement of said sections.

5. A loom dobby linger iormed of two sections, one section being formed with a groove to cooperate with the dobby chain pegs and the other being folded around the first named section to restrain relative lateral movement of said sections, and interengaging inte ral portions of said sections to restrain relative vertical movement of said sections.

6. A loom dobby finger formed of two sections, one section being folded along a primary line of fold to form the main part of the linger, portions of said section being folded on itself to lie between the portions of said section folded about the primary line of fold the other section being formed to co operate with the dobby chain pegs, and illterengaging means formed on the said portions of the first named section and the sec ond named section to prevent relative movement of said sections.

7. A loom dobby finger formed of sheet metal, said finger having a main part folded along a primary line of fold and having aligning bearing portions, said main part also having projections lying on one side of the primary line of fold which are bent back on said main portion along secondary lines of fold, and a peg run section cooperating with the projections and being formed to cooperate with said projections to prevent vertical displacement of the peg run section, the portions of the main section lying on opposite sides of the primary line of fold and engaging the peg run to prevent lateral displacement thereof.

8. A blank for pressed steel dobby fingers comprising a body port-ion having arcuate edges symmetrically disposed about a primary line of fold, said body portion having bearing portions symmetrically disposed about said primary line of told and said blank having a projection on one side thereof formed with a third bearing portion symmetrically disposed with respect to one of the first mentioned bearing portions about the secondary line of fold.

9. A blank for a pressed metal dobby finger, said blank having bearing portions arranged in pairs, the members of one pair 1ying syninnctrically with respect to a primary line of fold of the blank and the members of the other pair lying symmetrically with respect to a secondary line of fold of the blank.

10. A blank for a pressed metal dobby finger, said blank having bearing portions arranged in pairs, the members of one pair lying symmetrically with respect to a primary line o'i iold oi the blank and the members of the other pair lying symmetrically with re spect to a secondary line of fold of the blank, one of said bearing portions being common to both pairs.

11. A blank for a pressed metal dobby finger having a main part having bearing portions symmetrically disposed with respect to a primary line of fold, additional bearing portions symmetrically disposed about a secondary line oi": told with respect to one of the first named bearing portions, and an arm projecting from the blank and foldable along the secondary line of iold, said additional bearing portion and arm having slots to receive another portion of the dobby finger.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

WALTER H. WAKEFIELD. 

